Existing television viewing systems typically include a grid based electronic programming guide. A typical television broadcast includes data representing three individual data fields. The first data field is a channel lineup which defines all of the specific channels available for viewing. The second data is a show lineup which includes all of the data relating to the individual shows being displayed. The third data field is a schedule which coordinates when a particular viewing event from the show lineup is available for viewing.
In a typical electronic programming guide display system, the show lineup data represents the available viewing events, for example the specific televisions broadcast show or episode, such as an episode of the sitcom Friends or a recurring show such as the 6 o'clock Evening News. Each of the viewing events may be identified by a representative multi-digit number. Further associated with the number are index coordinates associated with a particular viewing grid. A processing device, such as a television set top box, when enabled by an end user creates a rectangular grid including time along the X axis and viewing channels along the Y axis. Based on the particular grid, the show lineup is then utilized to populate the grid by placing particular viewing events at the coordinated location within the grid. For example, for an evening news program starting on Channel 2 at 6:00, the X axis of the grid, time, for the 6:00 interval and Channel 2 on the Y axis interval would provide the coordinates for the insertion of the viewing event within the grid. Therefore, when a viewer enables the electronic program guide, the grid display of viewing information is generated, showing, among other viewing events, the evening news program available on Channel 2 at 6:00.
Further advances with electronic program guides allow for further information to be provided within the show lineup data fields. For example, a viewing event is typically labeled with a common name such that a viewer may actively recognize the name of the viewing event, for example, an episode of Friends. Further included may be information describing the plot of the episode, actor information, season and/or episode information, if the show is a new episode or a rerun, or any other information relating to providing the user with programming guide information.
Currently, more and more channels are becoming available for viewing. Therefore, more and more options are becoming available for viewing content. Furthermore, with the advent of personal video recording devices (PVRs), users have also added large amounts of recorded viewing information. Therefore, modern television viewing systems provide a veritable information overload with regard to viewable content. The information overload can be further propagated due to PVR systems recording content based on user-preferences without the user's express permission or knowledge. Based on the information overload, modern systems allow users to easily overlook viewing events. This may be especially true for seasonal content broadcast only once per year, for example, a particular sporting event.
Current programming guide information systems also allow for a user to search through available content. Searching features may be cumbersome based on ambiguities with regards to defined search characteristics. For example, different broadcasters may provide different descriptions of similar events, such as a world sports station describing a soccer event as football and a U.S. broadcast station also using the term football, but not directly referring to the sport of soccer.
The current program guide information will also allow a user to set specific channel favorites. Using an on-screen interactive menu, the user may select favorite channels, such that when the grid based display is generated, only the favorite channels are displayed on the Y axis and the corresponding program events are displayed in populating the grid relative to the time X axis.
Furthermore, another limitation with the current existing systems is the transition between show lineup information in the grid based display and subsequent viewing event information. For example, while a particular episode of a television show may be illustrated as being available on Channel 7 at 8:00, the user typically must select the particular portion of the grid and then press enter. Upon pressing enter, another window is typically generated on top of the electronic program guide subsequently blocking the program guide or a secondary window is generated which causes the program guide to be either reduced in size or further obscured. Therefore, when a user attempts to find further information about a particular viewing event, further operations must be performed which detract from the immediate visibility and/or readability of the grid-based electronic guide.
Therefore, there exists a need for an approach to the processing of program guide information and the subsequent display of the program information such that a user may quickly and automatically obtain pertinent viewing information.